5 favorites to win the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season officially kicks off Saturday night with the running of the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway (FOX, 8 p.m. ET).

This race will be 75 laps -- an opening 25-lap segment followed by a mandatory caution and a 50-lap final segment. The field is 25 drivers, so it's about 60 percent of the size of the Daytona 500 grid.

And with no points on the line, expect aggressive action and a fair amount of contact, too.

5. DENNY HAMLIN -- Twice Hamlin has won this race, including in his rookie year of 2006. The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas have shown great speed at restrictor-plate tracks in recent years.

4. JOEY LOGANO -- A year ago, Logano would not have been on this list. But then he went out and won the Daytona 500 and the fall Talladega race, which means he's got a fast Team Penske Ford and he's figured out how to run these races.

3. MATT KENSETH -- The defending Sprint Unlimited winner, Kenseth also has won the Daytona 500 twice. That puts him in elite company and means his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will be one of the cars to beat on Saturday night.

2. DALE EARNHARDT JR. -- You can make a compelling case that Junior is the best restrictor-plate racer among all active drivers. Last year, he won points races at Talladega in the spring at Daytona in the summer and his Can-Am Duel Daytona 500 qualifying race. In four points races at the restrictor-plate tracks last year, his average finish was 1.75. And he's won the Sprint Unlimited twice.

1. KEVIN HARVICK -- Week in and week out over the past two seasons, the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet has been the car to beat. Harvick is the only driver in Saturday night's field to win the Sprint Unlimited three times, and he's a past Daytona 500 winner, too.